Getting land back in production

[newhollandcruzr]

Hi we have recently taken on some land that was left fallow last year and just left it now has a mat of thick grass and weeds , previous crop was maize that was harvested late in wet conditions and is rutted badly question is what is the best way forwards obviously it needs a good dose of roundup (if we dare go in there with the sprayer !!) then ? Can we let it die and burn ? Then power harrow the ruts out or what ? Thanks for any thoughts

 

[beefandsleep]

Get a contractor to spray it off now, plough it in a couple of months time when the frost has taken the cover. You could flail top it or disc it if you are blocking up but my guess is you will be fine.

 

[ollie989898]

Spray now and you might find it dies back to nearly nothing.

Sounds like subsoiling etc will be in order.

 

[newhollandcruzr]

It's way to rough to flail and plough would choke up ! There is a fair wack of grass ect as it has had a few coverings of slurry and is in pretty good hart

 

[beefandsleep]

Graze it with sheep?

 

[hindmaist]

Graze it if practical,then plough.Rotavate if required.

 

[Kevtherev]

Have you got a big cultivator you could pull through it first to rip it and level it?

 

[newhollandcruzr]

Not sure sheep would be to keen as it had slurry again a couple of weeks ago and no fencing , got a big tined cultivator but I'm sure it would choke up big discs would do it but haven't got any and don't know of any around here . does anyone know if we could burn as it's not crop residue ?

 

[Captain Mainwaring]

Glyphosate asap, plough it down then subsoil after the spring crop. Subsoiling, apart from being a questionable exercise in the winter anyway, either before or after ploughing that amount of rubbish in often ends in an almighty mess.

 

[Sandy]

Glyphosate at the max rate.

 

[Jerry]

I took on some ground this autumn that was similar other than it not being rutted. Chock full of couch grass mind.

I had access over the summer but was not allowed to take a cut of grass, had hemlock in there as well so did not want to risk it. But I flailed it over twice to get a flush of new grass before hitting it with full rate Roundup Max.

Grass was yellow within a couple of days, ploughed it about 8 days after that and drilled. Too early to say if couch will be back but I am sure some of it will be, wheat looking OK at moment, first wheat grown on that ground for a good few years!

 

[neilo]

Roundup asap, then shut the gate and walk away for a few months. Go through in march with your 'big tined cultivator' to level and bust it up, once the grass is rotted down.

 

[AFM]

Disc it a couple of times or get a tined cultivator in there to level the ruts as best you can. Leave it a while and then if it is still not possible to plough in a couple of week then disc it again (always at 45 degrees). Then plough it in a good frost. Depending on time of year roundup always helps!

 

[JCfarmer]

As said full rate of roundup asap and leave till mid Feb at least, if you were thinking of leveling it with a power harrow you might as well rotavate it. Not much slower but it will be far better to plough behind chopping all that dead grass. Discs are ok but if ground is wet in feb and rough you will struggle. Drill with spring barley? It will smother any grass weed that may chit after drilling.

 

[TelesnaAg]

X 2 spray with some LI700 to help burn down...it's a double edged sward...plough now and then can be a slop box and not get on early enough in spring or be severly delayed...but the other drama is and i suffer from this a bit - ruts stay full of water and then your delayed in spring as well - so if you can spray and flaten out ruts on a frost or if ground stiff enough and then leave till spring - then see how it looks - spring beans would be an option as sowing depth can be variable so don't need the tennis court finish that cereals often require....being in nth Devon i'd guess winters are pretty wet?

Ant...

 

[Paul E]

Outwinter a LOT of cattle.
Then when its drier blast it with discs.

 

[ollie989898]

X 2 spray with some LI700 to help burn down...it's a double edged sward...plough now and then can be a slop box and not get on early enough in spring or be severly delayed...but the other drama is and i suffer from this a bit - ruts stay full of water and then your delayed in spring as well - so if you can spray and flaten out ruts on a frost or if ground stiff enough and then leave till spring - then see how it looks - spring beans would be an option as sowing depth can be variable so don't need the tennis court finish that cereals often require....being in nth Devon i'd guess winters are pretty wet?

Ant...

An man after my own heart... 1500 grammes of glyphosate and my favourite adjuvant!

 

[Salopian_Will]

Round up and a sumo trio or similar will get it looking tip top

 

[yellow belly]

What soil type
Where is the field

 

[newhollandcruzr]

Clay loam with a few heavier parts , north west Devon